First
off, an admission. I have had the pleasure on many occasions of
having a few tunes in sessions in London with Mick. In particular,
for many months until the pub sadly closed, Mick was one of the
stalwarts of The White Horse session in Bethnal Green. A
down-at-heel boozer in an even more down-at-heel setting, “The
Horse” was nevertheless a powerhouse of music, crack and
early-morning shenanigans. I got to know Mick very quickly and it
was always a delight to turn up to The Horse to find him ensconced
in the corner, belting away at a set of dynamite tunes.

So,
those of us who have the pleasure of knowing Mick personally will
agree that he is one of nature's gentlemen; a sincere, genuine
“solid man”, completely lacking the self-preening swagger that
sometimes afflicts players of his remarkable talent. And likewise
his new CD is sincere and genuine, a solid piece of work,
completely grounded in the tradition and therefore absolutely
timeless. The approach throughout is laidback and joyful; Mick
takes time to explore the tunes, to hunt out variations and to
give due attention to what happens “between the notes”.

As
a result, this is an album which will demand – and which will
repay in full – many, many listenings.

For
the first time Mick has recorded a number of his own compositions.
They fit perfectly with the traditional tunes on the CD and I can
award no higher compliment than to say that already the tunes
sound as if they have been polished and rounded by the playing of
generations of Irish musicians. I laughed out loud when I read how
he came to name “Tom Mulvey's Blessing” in honour of one of
his dad's foibles. Knowing Tom as I do (like his son, he is a
gentleman), the description immediately rang true. I'll leave it
to you to buy the CD and read the full story!

Mick
has assembled a supporting cast of quality musicians. Pete Quinn
is well-known as keyboard player with The London Lasses. Jackie
Wynne plays guitar, Dermot Burke and Mossie Martin play fiddle and
Liam Cryan adds some deft bodhran.

A
fine follow-up to “Within A Mile Of Jamesown”, “Bridging The
Gap” once again captures the very essence of Mick's music. We're
already looking forward to number three!